James Opens at Number 2 in Britain; Iggy Pop at 5 Shatters His Previous Highest Charting Album

Adele made a comeback in the second half of the sales week in Britain, taking the number 1 spot for the eleventh week and denying James of their first number 1 studio album.

James' Girl at the End of the World ended up with a number 2 start, tying them with three of their other studio albums, Gold Mother (1990), Seven (1992) and Millionaires (1999). Their The Best of James hit number 1 in 1998 but they've never been able to do it with an album of originals.

Iggy Pop, on the other hand, shattered his previous highest charting album with a number 5 start for Post Pop Depression. Even with the Stooges, Iggy never charted higher than number 28 which he did in 1977 with his solo album Lust For Life. Pop's complete British chart history by highest position:

Post Pop Depression (2016 / #5)

Lust For Life (1977 / #28)

The Idiot (1977 / #30)

Blah Blah Blah (1986 / #43)

American Caesar (1993 / #43)

Raw Power (Stooges) (1973 / #44)

Brick by Brick (1990 / #50)

New Values (1979 / #60)

Instinct (1988 / #61)

Soldier (1980 / #62)

Naughty Little Doggie (1996 / #77)

The Wierdness (Stooges) (2007 / #81)

Nude & Rude: The Best of Iggy Pop (1996 / #99)

Iggy's album is number 1 on the Vinyl Album Sales and Record Store Sales charts.

The electronic group Underworld starts at 10 with Barbara Barbara, We Face a Shining Future, their highest charting album since Beaucoup Fish (1999 / #3) which was also the highest charting album of their career in the U.K.

At 12 is the debut of the new Primal Scream album Chaosmosis, tying their last set, 2013's More Light. Prior to these two albums, the band had seven straight top ten albums in the U.K.

Gwen Stefani opens at number 14 with This is What the Truth Feels Like. As with Primal Scream, the position ties her last solo set, 2006's The Sweet Escape. Her debut solo album, Love. Angel. Music. Baby. peaked at 4.

The British alt-rock band The Wonder Stuff celebrate thirty years in music with 30 Goes Around the Sun which starts this week at 38. It's their first studio album to make the British charts since 1993's Construction For the Modern Idiot, which went to number 4. Their first five albums since reforming did not chart.

Finally, a-ha premiers at 75 with an updated version of their album Time and Again.